The nation has taken Alan "Jonathan Creek" Davies to its heart. Even
trying to bump off an elderly relative, he's still cuddlesome.

Davies plays a favourite nephew who, not having seen his aunt for thirty
years, arrives at her death-bed. Only the old dear won't shuffle off. Days
pass, weeks, whole seasons, and he sits at her bedside fuming, recounting
bits of his own history. Then, growing frustrated, he begins to take matters
into his own hands.

Unlike Oleanna, this is an American play with no problems when
staged in English; two or three references jar a teeny bit, but that's
all. And Davies is an astute bit of casting: his comedian's instincts see
him easily through the monologic scenes, while his acquired acting abilities
stop him looking awkward and out of his depth in a theatrical context.
As Auntie, Marcia Warren has all the scene-stealing moments, largely silent
though her part is: in the first hour of the 90-minute piece she has two
words, "Merry Christmas!"

The show is consistently selling out in Assembly's big Ballroom space,
and few punters are going away disappointed after seeing it.